WWI as seen in the letters of Sgt GC Roberts MM of the 1/5th Welsh Regiment

Month

October 2017

Just a line again to let you know that I am as per usual in the pink hope you all at home can say the same. I wrote a long letter to you two days ago also to Jon hope will receive them alright. I have not got any news to tell you and I hardly know what to write . If you don’t get a letter from me for a week or two don’t get alarmed I will write as often as possible. Give my love to Mailys and Dyfan hope they are getting on alright. I hope to get a few letters waiting me when I get back to the battery have not had any for a few weeks. Sept 9 was the last. well my address is as usual 241261 Corpl GC Roberts 159th Bde TM battery EEF. Hope Jon and Mag and Glyn are in good health. Give my love to them. Will write as soon as possible again. Best love and wishes to you all.

Your Affectionate Son

Goronwy.

Comment

This letter is rushed and has the tone of a soldiers “last letter”. Nothing he can write about, but he was no doubt well aware of the big push to come. Concentration of troops for the 3rd Battle of Gaza has been going on for over a week. All that training will soon be tested.

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Just a line again to let you know that I am as per usual in the pink hope you all at home can say the same. No doubt you will be surprised to hear that I am in dock again this time with a beautiful boil on the left of my jaw and another bounder on the back of my neck, but there is no cause for any alarm I am only in the field ambulance, B Fry’s lot. I will be out this week came in on Wednesday I am only kept here in order to get better treatment and so get rid of the boils quicker. Many have got boils out here now it must be the climate or bully beef but have had bacon four times running this week for breakfast. Bernard Fry is on a week’s leave in Cairo he is returning today (Friday). Tudor Dodd has been sent to dock with dyptheria (sic) he is not bad but in the pink I was talking to him I think he has gone down the line now, he was here. It was Rutherford who had the wind up and sent him to dock because he was in the same bivouac as a chap who had dyp. I received a letter from W Burton yesterday he is on his way home he left Cairo on the 10th lucky chap don’t you think so, he is going to call and see you. I don’t understand how he managed to get leave and not been out here long. I have been out 27 months now and no sign of leave. I do think that men out here should have a chance of leave now. I have not received a letter from you for about a fortnight but am expecting one next mail. I must say that I have been getting my letters exceedingly well so I can’t grumble and don’t, hope you can say likewise. How is Jon and Mag and Glyndwr getting on. What are the details of the latter’s progress. Can he walk or talk yet let me know. You should see the nigger babies out here they seem to be able to walk or crawl as soon as they are born and the first word they utter is not Dad or Mam like a British baby but Give it Buckshees! (something for nothing) It is the cry of young and old and they get it too (sometimes). If you buy anything from the nigs they want buckshees on top of the price of the article and that is twice as dear as it ought to be. When I was in Alex I was sitting down in a garden and a nig wanted to shine my boots that had only just been shined. I told him no but he came bothering me three times again but he did not come again after that because I took the shine off my boots by kicking his behind with them. These niggers are a pest they would rob you before you could look round twice. they are the scrum of the earth. there is no place like dear old Blighty out here so roll on duration and best get out of this. This place called the holy land is absolutely the limit I pity the Jews who had to live here. They must have been colour blind or without any feelings of any kind. Well hope Mailys and Dyfan are getting on alright hope Mailys enjoys teaching and that Dyfan is doing well this term in school. Is he in the first eleven let me know. I have just seen Bernard Fry he returned from Cairo today he enjoyed himself alright so he tells me. He had a parcel this morning and I had a few cakes off him. My word Blighty cakes seem good they went down a treat without touching the sides. Well the 18th will soon be here now so Many happy returns of the day to you Mam and same to me too. Hope to be home for our next birthday and make up for lost time. How are things going on in Aber hope it is still keeping in the same place. I have not got any more to say for myself just now. My address is 241261 Corpl GC Roberts 159 Bde TM Battery EEF. Lewis is still alright and wishes to be remembered to you. Solong for now will write again soon. Best love and best wishes to you all.

Your affectionate Son

Goronwy

Roll on Duration

Comment

The occurance of septic sores and boils amongst the troops in Sinai and Palestine was of epidemic proportions with large numbers of soldiers having to be evacuated from the front line to rear hospitals, often for weeks. An article in the Lancet describes the contemporary treatment of these conditions. Secondary infection with diphtheria organisms was not uncommon when as described in this letter there were outbreaks of diphtheria. Capt H Warren Crowe “A routine treatment for septic sores and Nile boils” Lancet Nov 16th 1918.

Also see “Allenby’s Military Medicine” Eran Golev

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Just a line again to let you know that I am as per usual in the pink hope you can say the same. There was a mail in yesterday but I did not receive a letter from you only one from Aunty Polly but better luck next time. I received another letter from Burton in Cairo he tells me he has written to you. I have not seen Mr AW Davies for some time have been up to the batt a few times but have been unable to see him. Lew is alright and wishes to be remembered to you. I was reading the Cardiff Times or SW Weekly News and read the account of the meeting held in LLandrinodd Wells by Welsh pacifists. The only speaker there with a bit of common is Rev Morgan Jones of Whitland. That a lot of men supposed to have a good amount of brains should gather in a place of worship and whine because there is a war on and would go and shake hands with the Germans even now. Some of the resolutions they passed show what a lot of weak kneed skulks they are. Was glad to see that the deacons of the church where the meeting was held chucked them out. I would like to know if any of the speakers in this meeting had any sons or relatives at the front or had been killed. I saw EK Jones of Cefn Mawr’s name in the paper has been giving an address on Postion of COs (conscientious objectors). They are not worth talking about. The account of this is in the Sept 8th paper. You may know more about it than me. Hope Dad does not bother with such weak kneed creatures as pacifists if he does he is on the side of the right and not the weak kneed lot. Principal Rees of Bangor seems to have quite a lot to say in this meeting is he a CO or too old to fight. I would like to attend a pacifist peace meeting if it did not end in pieces I would have a good try at it. There is no one wants peace more than we do but not peace at any price but peace at our price. Well hope Dad enjoyed himself at Abergele and Cefn have not heard from him since he has been there hope he found all his friends alright. I was on the sick this morning had four small boils on my neck but had MD (medicine and duty) you know what that is don’t you so you see it’s not bad but they are rotten things. I think it’s the bully (tinned corned beef)that does it we have had quite a lot of it lately (much quice) (no good). How is Mailys getting on with her teaching hope she keeps on liking it. Hope Dyfan is doing alright now this term he ought to pass flyingthis term. Hope the Army don’t bother him what age is Badin Morgan and they boys that have been called up let me know. Hope Jon Mag and Glyndwr are in good health give my love to them all. My address is still 241261 Copl GC Roberts 159th Bde Trench Mortar Battery E.E.F. How much longer do you think this war will last. I think next spring should see it all over. Well Mam our birthday will roll round in 10 days more so I must again wish you Many happy returns of the Day and hope to be home for next birthday. Well I must wind up now Best love and best wishes to you all.

Your Affectionate Son

Goronwy

Comment

This may be the newspaper to which GCR is referring, it certainly describes a lively peace meeting in Llandrindod Wells.

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Just a line in answer to your letters dated Sept 9 which I received about five minutes ago and I feel I must answer it at once. Diolch yn fawr am dano. Very glad indeed to hear you are all in good health that’s the style I am as per usual in the pink and A1 which is my category (I think that is what they call it). I did not think that Glyndwr was a year old yet time is going very quick indeed. Please give him many happy returns of the day on my behalf. I wrote to Jon last week but did not know Glyndwr’s birthday was so soon. I also wrote to you yesterday hope you have received all the letters I send for I make it a point of writing about twice a week so that you can get letters pretty often. You say that J Willie is home on leave and is a lance jack too, what promotion and with three years service in too. I don’t think he will stand much chance of a commission. What regiment is he in let me know. Surprised to hear that the boys you (Mailys) mention in your letter have had calling up papers. I thought all colliers were exempt from compulsory military service. They had hardly left school when I was home but of course I forget time has gone so quickly. Hope Dyfan will enjoy himself on his trip to Barry Island and Mam too. Did Mam go to Swansea for a holiday after let me know it would do her a great deal of good I am sure if she went. I saw Lew last night he is alright and wishes to be remembered to you all. I also saw Tudor Dodd he is alright and wishes to be remembered to you also. We are having decent weather just now at least it is not quite so hot. The wet season will not be long coming now. Last year it was very wet and I had a wet shirt more than once as we were in dugouts with my only waterproof sheet over the top but if the water collected on it down it would come and then a wet blanket. When it does rain here it does not forget to come down in buckets. Hope Dyfan will pass the Senior next year at least he will have a very good chance especially if he works hard. When do you think this war will be over. I think myself that next spring should see it all over, but what makes us chaps fed up is the way some of the people at home come out on strike and talk rot about no reprisals and shout about peace at any price. What do they know about it. If some of the conscientious objectors or conscientious cowards I call them and Ramsey McDonald and his crew had to do a bit of the scrapping they would be entitled to shout a bit but they don’t only make themselves a general nuisance to people who have a bit of guts in them. How are things going in Abertysswg hope it is still in the same place. I am writing this on the 5th had no time to finish it before and have had a hard grueling rather between stunts and route marches and I have felt pretty tired after them, too tired to write at that. I had a bit of good news yesterday the 1st Class proficiency pay I told you about has come through and dated back to May 1st so I now get 6d instead of 3d per day proficiency pay. Have you seen the new rates of pay. Proficiency pay is to be paid after 6 months service instead of 2 years as I had to wait to it so that is where conscripts get the advantage of us. There is a penny a day for the first year of service, 2d for 2nd and 3d for the third so if they give us the back money I will have 9 pounds in credit that will be alright too don’t you think so. If they don’t pay back money I will be having 4d extra because I will be starting on my 4th year in the Army after the 15th of this month. So you see I am quite an old sweat now at least older than I bargained for. I was up at the battalion the other day and told Lew about Badin getting his papers he was very surprised at it. He is in good health and wishes to be remembered to you. I had a letter from Burton in Cairo yesterday he received my letter just as he was writing to Dad, he tells me of a couple of Abertysswg chaps down there. Hope Jon, Mag and Glyndwr are in good health have you taught the latter to walk yet and to talk too let me know his progress in these two important subjects. My address is still 241261 Corpl GC Roberts 159 Bde Trench Mortar Battery E.E.F. Hope you are receiving my letters alright. Hope Dad enjoyed himself up in Cefn and Abergele let me know. Best love and best wishes to you all.